NASDDDS Elects Two New Board Members

The National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services (NASDDDS) is pleased to announce Elizabeth “Betsy” Hopkins and Jody Roberts as the two newest board members- at-large elected by the membership at our association business meeting in June. The NASDDDS Board of Directors is responsible for administering the affairs of the association and establishing all organizational policies. The board is composed of four officers and five members-at-large. All board members are elected by the membership. The officers serve concurrent two-year terms, while the board members-at-large serve staggered, three-year terms.

Elizabeth “Betsy” Hopkins is the Associate Director in the Maine Office of Aging and Disability Services. She brings over 30 years of experience in disability services, focused on advancing inclusion, employment, and independence for individuals with disabilities. Since 2019, she has served as Associate Director at the Office of Aging and Disability Services (OADS) within Maine’s Department of Health and Human Services, overseeing services for adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD), Autism, and BrainInjury. In this role, Betsy has spearheaded collaborative efforts to embed Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) values across the system—engaging providers, leveraging technical assistance, and incorporating public input. She also commissioned a behavioral health gap analysis and led reforms to address identified gaps, advancing meaningful systems change for individuals with IDD and behavioral health support needs. Most recently, she led the design of Maine’s new “Lifespan Waiver,” a transformative initiative offering flexible, evolving supports throughout an individual’s life.

Previously, Betsy worked at the National Disability Institute’s Workforce Innovation and Technical Assistance Center (WINTAC) and held leadership roles with the Maine Department of Labor’s Vocational Rehabilitation Services Program, where she eliminated a longstanding waitlist, secured a $9 million grant to expand youth employment opportunities, and served on the board of the Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation (CSAVR), including as board president in 2014. She holds a Master’s Degree in Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling from the University of Southern Maine and completed all doctoral coursework in the School of Global Inclusion and Social Development at the University of Massachusetts Boston. Her expertise spans comprehensive program and policy development in developmental services, vocational rehabilitation, and services for individuals who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing.

Jody Roberts is the Director of the Division of Developmental Disabilities Services in the Department of Health and Social Services for the State of Delaware. The Division provides HCBS services and supports for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the community and operates a fifty bed ICF/IDD. Previously, he served the division as the Director of External Relations and Strategic Partnerships – a position created in acknowledgment of the essential role that our service system partners play in the success of our work.

Jody came to the State of Delaware following more than a dozen years in the non-profit sector where he built and led a research institute focused on fostering critical participation and engagement in matters related to science, technology, and innovation policy with the goal of imagining and building more sustainable futures. He brings that same dedication to research and innovation to his work in the DD system where there is critical need for innovation in the technologies, techniques, and policies available to ensure the rights, health, and ambitions of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Jody holds degrees in chemistry (BS, St. Vincent College) and science and technology studies (MS and PhD, Virginia Tech), which means he can tell you far more than you’d ever want to know about things like the process of smelting aluminum and the history and social implications of it. He’s also the proud parent of two daughters, including a seventeen-year-old with cerebral palsy, who together set him on a path to this work and remind him what the world could look like if we get this work right.

“The talent within our slate of candidates for the NASDDDS board this year was extraordinary,” said NASDDDS Executive Director, Mary Sowers. “NASDDDS is beyond thrilled to welcome Betsy and Jody and we look forward to working alongside them in service to our members.”